9.26.2013

When it came to our invitations, we knew two things for certain: they had to be special and Elisha was going to design them. I had the idea of creating a "magazine" when we were planning our engagement shoot. I wanted to to be able to tell a story through our photos and really share who we are as a couple. I sent our photographer home with a few Anthropologie / Free People catalogs so she could get a feel for what we wanted our photos to feel like. While gathering them, I thought, "how cool would it be if we created a "catalog" of us?" It seemed a little "look at me and all of my photos", but we figured it was highly likely that our friends and family would want to see them and this way they would have their own copies. I shared the concept with Elisha and he loved it! He totally ran with the idea and created the perfect invitation for us. I love that we were able to share more than one photo with our friends and family, and tell the story of us in the process. The last page is perforated and the envelope comes off, so everything fit like a little package - so perfect. I made the stamp for the return envelope and our beautiful swan stamp is from Native Bear (it has our new address, which I blocked out for obvious reasons) - I just want to stamp everything with it! The beautiful cups featured, were provided by Rosemary Paper Co. As I said, Elisha designed the invites and if you're interested in having him design for you, you can email him here. If you have any other questions about them, feel free to leave a comment below!

Now that our invitations are out and our friends and family get to be fully surprised by the photos; I can share all of our engagement photos on here too! I'll be posting them throughout the next week.

While getting our invitations all sealed up, it hit me how blessed we are to have such incredible people in our lives. From our talented friends and family contributing to this whole process - photographers, musicians, ministers, crafters and the like - we know some cool people. I'm truly grateful for each of them. I know most people dread writing thank you cards, but I absolutely can't wait to get to them!

9.25.2013

This weekend Elisha and I went to one of our favorite spots in Ft Worth called Brewed. The food is great, and the environment is even better! We had fun working on a few wedding things, and planning one of our biggest youth events. We love working from coffee shops; maybe it's the creative vibe, or the constant flow of food and drink, but it's our favorite! Where do you work best?

9.24.2013

Here's a little peek a what I've been working on. I started painting some cards to give to some of my friends, but just recently thought of putting some in the shop. After seeing some of your comments on Instagram, I think I'm going to go ahead and list them! They should hopefully be up by next week!

9.20.2013

It happened guys! We finally mailed out our wedding invitations and I could not feel more excited! I breathed a huge sigh of relief as we finished them up last night after weeks of creating them. It was such a fun project to share with Elisha; from designing, to printing, to writing and sealing, it truly was a labor of love. Doing all of these wedding projects together only makes me realize more that we make such a great team. And I'm excited to live my life with him. I will be sharing a full invitation story very soon!

In other news, we are now just over 6 weeks away from being wed. The shock of the reality of this has still not worn off. I still catch myself looking down at my ring and thinking, "I AM GETTING MARRIED!!!" and yes, I shout it in my mind.

We went to visit our venue again and found out that they had just finished building an entirely new building on their property! So we're pretty excited to utilize that space. While we were there it finally dawned on me that we're having an evening wedding, and all those pretty pictures I had in my head with natural light and the sun shining brightly, were actually not going to be real at all. I'm pretty much having a night wedding. I've been having some trouble coming to terms with this, but I'm finally coming around to the idea and embracing the fact that it will be dark. I'm excited to play with light concepts and I can't wait to show you all that the Mr and I come up with! Which by the way, you have no idea how hard it is to try and keep this all a surprise! I want to share everything I'm working on, all of my ideas and inspiration!! Keeping secrets is the worst!

9.18.2013

Your day is what you make of it. I know the pangs of the mundane and routine, but I also know the beauty of hard work and humble beginnings. There's magic all around us, if we will only stop to take notice. I spent some time on Pinterest yesterday and found so much inspiration. I wanted to share some of it with you.

I've been trying to find artwork for the new home - which I move into in two weeks! I'm excited to decorate the space and especially thrilled to have a nice little workspace that's all my own. Kelli Murray gave me some serious inspiration with her home tour. I'm also pretty stoked to have a full kitchen to myself and I can't wait to try some new recipes!! To see more of my recent inspiration, visit me on pinterest!

9.16.2013

Lately I've been attempting to master the magic of balancing. This is for sure one of the busier seasons of my life. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, I'm trying to prioritize and balance those priorities for the day to day. So far it's proving difficult, but possible. I think my favorite thing to tell myself during moments like these, is - it's only a season! Knowing that there is an end, and the end will be good, gives me such peace.

9.09.2013

There have been a few changes here on the blog lately - some that are noticeable and some that are a little behind the scenes, so I thought I'd mention one that I'm most thrilled about.

I'm excited to share the new Pie N' the Sky design page with you! I'm offering new packages as well as all new design elements in the A La Carte Menu! You can see everything on the design page. For more info you can always email me too.

Above, are a few new designs I finished up for Jes, Megan, and Juli this past month. I love working with such creative and inspiring young women! If you're interested in a new design, I'd love to work with you! I'm currently taking three clients a month and offering a 20% discount for this month! Yay for discounts!

9.06.2013

A little reminder never hurt nobody. Whether you're taking on the world, tackling projects for school, being super mom, or facing ridiculous obstacles, just remember - you have what it takes.

Elisha just wrapped up a series with our students on being fearless. Fear has such a crippling effect on us and before we even realize it we're ruled by it. Ruled by the fear that we'll never be who we have the potential to be, that we will fail or be unsuccessful, fear that the lie of "I'm just not good enough" might be true. Well, it's not. You have what it takes my friend. Don't be afraid. Push yourself and find joy in the process.

9.05.2013

As much as I wish Pie N' the Sky was my full time job, it's not. In fact I have a wide variety of "jobs" that I do on a weekly basis. Working on things that aren't necessarily "inspiring" can make it difficult to come home at the end of the day and blog about something inspirational and beautiful. It's always been important to me to stay inspired, even in the smallest of ways. Here are a few tips on how I stay inspired.

C A R R Y A R O U N D A J O U R N A L

this is such a simple step to staying inspired. you never know when an idea will hit, so carrying around a journal is a great way to make sure you remember the things that matter most. sometimes I'll be at work and I'll think of a great idea for a post - immediately I can write it down and have a place to brainstorm. pulling out this notebook on not so inspired days, is such a huge help in getting to that special place.

R E M E M B E R T O S O A K I N E V E R Y M O M E N T

your life may be filled with routine and other mundane tasks, but that doesn't mean it's uninspired. take advantage of every moment you have. sure, it might just be a lunch break, but it's also thirty minutes to dream, to write down ideas and think on wonderful things.

F I N D I N S P I R A T I O N I N E V E R Y T H I N G

maybe you're confined to an office all day - make that office the most inspiring place you know. fill it with photos and candles that inspire the senses. maybe you're not allowed to decorate your space, well then put a fun wallpaper on computer desktop. whether its a plant in the corner, or a photo of your friends, or even a small notebook with a pretty design - there is inspiration all around. either take notice, or create it yourself.

R E T R E A T

take a break y'all. i can very easily go a hundred miles a minute and only stop to sleep a few hours. I know that I don't operate my best when I run myself into the ground. who does?? so taking time to relax and mentally unwind is so important. once I can clear my head, then I find that inspiring, wonderful and beautiful things are likely to follow.

These are very simple, but they've become my way of life. It's not always easy, but it's always worth it. How do you stay inspired?

9.03.2013

I love the stillness of morning. It's so rare that I get to wake with nothing on the schedule, with nowhere to be or nothing urgent to accomplish. It's on those days I like to draw open the curtains and just sit in the stillness, soaking in the sunshine. God is so good and these days are reminders of that.

I had a perfect Labor Day weekend. The mr and I went to Austin, where he completed his first triathlon! I'm so proud of him and I'll be sharing more on that later this week. I received a sweet package from my dear friend Brittany. She and I grew up in the same city, but never actually met. Over the last year or so we've gotten to know each other via the internet and I feel so blessed for our friendship. Finding people you truly connect with is so rare and wonderful.

I'm hoping your week is off to a great start. My life is taking on a new adventure today, and I'm nervous, but excited. I also have quite a bit of wedding stuff to take care of and trying and pick out a few more home items before next month when I make the move.